During the second GOP debate on Wednesday night, Governor Ron DeSantis criticized former President Donald Trump for his contribution to the national debt.
DeSantis accused Trump of adding $7.8 trillion to the national debt during his presidency, which he claimed has led to the current inflation crisis under President Joe Biden. Biden, seizing the opportunity, retweeted DeSantis' comments to bolster his own presidential campaign.
Inflation has indeed risen significantly since Biden took office. When Biden assumed the presidency in 2021, the Consumer Price Index stood at 1.4 percent, the same as when Trump left office. However, by June 2022, it had skyrocketed to 9.1 percent before dropping to 6.5 percent in December of the same year.
Biden capitalized on DeSantis' criticism of Trump to launch an attack on the former president himself. While none of the candidates on the GOP debate stage come close to Trump's poll numbers, with Trump polling near 60 percent and the other candidates barely reaching 50 percent combined, Biden's campaign sees slamming Trump as their only option.
Trump's addition of $7.8 trillion to the national debt during his presidency brought the total debt to over $33 trillion. The national debt continues to grow substantially, posing a significant challenge for the Biden administration.
DeSantis' attempt to shift blame from Biden to Trump has provided Biden's campaign with additional ammunition. Biden's team has compiled DeSantis' comments, interspersed them with photos of Trump in office, and turned them into a campaign ad.
This ad, along with Biden's own arsenal of attacks, including a weaponized Department of Justice, district attorneys eager to take down Trump, and a progressive press that frames accusations against Trump as convictions, aims to encourage lawfare to remove him from the presidential ballot.
DeSantis gains little, if anything, from criticizing the front-runner for the Republican nomination. On the other hand, Biden stands to gain everything. DeSantis' talking points are likely to be echoed in White House press briefings, floated on various media platforms, and used in televised campaign ads.
When Biden and Trump inevitably meet again on the debate stage, Biden will have these criticisms to use against Trump, even from within his own party.
Biden could readily argue, "Even members of your own party say you caused inflation by adding to the national debt." Trump will not only have to contend with progressive Democrats seeking to sow discord but also with dissent within his own party. He will be forced to deflect blame for his own role in the struggling American economy and resort to the familiar tactic of blaming Trump.
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